Out now: Issue 324 of Passenger Transport

Out now: Issue 324 of Passenger Transport

Issue 324 of Passenger Transport is published on November 1. Contents include:     LEAD STORY Budget brings relief – and disappointment Chancellor faced criticism for raising England’s bus fare cap from £2 to £3 and increasing rail fares by 4.6% while retaining the 5p fuel duty cut   NEWS...
Budget brings relief - and disappointment

Budget brings relief – and disappointment

Chancellor faced criticism for raising England’s bus fare cap from £2 to £3 and increasing rail fares by 4.6% while retaining the 5p fuel duty cut   Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her first budget this week   Rachel Reeves delivered her first budget this week with some positive news for...
Employees are owners of Stephensons parent

Employees are owners of Stephensons parent

Bus industry entrepreneur Bill Hiron has sold Eastern Transport Holdings, the parent of bus operators Stephensons and NIBS, to an employee trust   Bill Hiron: ‘the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea’   Eastern Transport Holdings, the parent company of bus operators Stephensons of Essex...
Moving beyond the budget

Moving beyond the budget

  We must now start to look towards the spending review in Spring and make a compelling case for investment in public transport   We rely on good bus, rail and tram services and walking and cycling infrastructure   I have just returned from a two-week break spent travelling through...
Don’t dismiss the ‘dinosaurs’

Don’t dismiss the ‘dinosaurs’

  Our youth-focussed world overlooks the talent and experience of older workers, but right now we need them more than ever before   Not long before Covid kicked off, I spent some time with a very amiable pension advisor who kindly pulled together several pensions I have during my unremarkable...
Not as bad as feared - but will it work?

Not as bad as feared – but will it work?

  Chancellor Rachel Reeves has delivered her first budget. There was some good news for public transport but disappointment too   Chancellor Rachel Reeves on budget day   So there we have it, Rachel Reeves’s first budget, and altogether rather less gloomy than what had been heavily signalled almost since...
A stronger future for drivers

A stronger future for drivers

Fiona Guthrie of RATP Dev Transit London was named ‘Best Project Manager’ at the pan-European Talent in Mobility Awards last month for her work on the Garage Life Programme. She explains how the project has helped new drivers feel quickly at home and boosted retention rates   New drivers who...
Thorpe makes case for BYD’s UK plans

Thorpe makes case for BYD’s UK plans

Frank Thorpe, the MD of BYD’s UK bus business, makes the case for Chinese manufacturer in the face of calls to ‘Buy British’   The BD11 double decker – a 10.9-metre-long, 90-passenger bus designed and built entirely by BYD in China   Lately, there has been much discussion about the...
Decarbonising the UK’s buses

Decarbonising the UK’s buses

The UK has been leading the way on zero-emission buses, but we must keep up the momentum   A Stagecoach West Scotland electric midibus in Ayr   By Tim Griffen The transition to zero-emission buses (ZEBs) in the UK, has been a big success story. The UK has been leading...
Britain’s buses in a new era

Britain’s buses in a new era

  I’ve researched and written a new book about the future of Britain’s bus industry and the risks and opportunities that lie ahead. Here are some of my reflections   Greater Manchester’s franchised Bee Network   As so often in the past, any discussion about the bus industry’s future falls...
Latest entries
National Transport Awards 2024 Book of Winners

National Transport Awards 2024 Book of Winners

The National Transport Awards took place on October 3 in London and you can read all about the winners in this official Souvenir Brochure. Click on the image below to view National Transport Awards Book of Winners 2024.     If you are viewing the site on a tablet or mobile device, tap here to...
Expert panel will help UK bus manufacturers

Expert panel will help UK bus manufacturers

Amid growing concerns for British bus builders, government hails £500m order for Wrightbus and announces UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel   Transport secretary Louise Haigh   Amid mounting political pressure to adopt a ‘Buy British’ rule in bus procurement, the government has announced a £500m electric bus order for Northern Ireland-based Wrightbus and plans to...
Summit puts spotlight on women in bus sector

Summit puts spotlight on women in bus sector

Women in Bus and Coach event champions diversity   The Women in Bus and Coach Summit   The second annual Women in Bus and Coach Summit was held in Manchester on October 8, bringing together industry leaders, stakeholders, frontline operators and advocates to celebrate the remarkable contributions of women across the bus, coach and community...
Big challenges, tight budgets

Big challenges, tight budgets

The European Mobility Expo revealed that our continental neighbours face similar challenges   Fiona Guthrie (left) and fellow Talent in Mobility winners   If you like trams you’ll LOVE Strasbourg. With a population of 860,000 across the conurbation, France’s eighth largest city is criss-crossed by multiple light rail and BRT lines. Visitors from UK cities...
The railway’s lost sense of community

The railway’s lost sense of community

  Fragmentation and societal change have eroded the culture and commonality that bonded rail workers together, and it’s a shame   How will TOCs like South Western be remembered?   Last weekend, I watched the gripping Netflix documentary, Strike: An Uncivil War, about the 1984/5 miners’ strike. It was a fascinating watch, not least to...
25 years in transport - what I’ve learned

25 years in transport – what I’ve learned

  I have attempted to collate everything I’ve seen, learned, read or heard during my time in the transport sector into 10 thoughts   The 25th anniversary of my starting to work in and around transport passed me by earlier this year. I joined the Central Rail Users Consultative Committee (not a snappy title, I...
Halt ‘nonsensical’ road projects to save £10.5bn

Halt ‘nonsensical’ road projects to save £10.5bn

Campaign for Better Transport urges transport secretary to divert funding to public transport as CPT calls for ‘immediate decision’ on £2 bus fare cap   Campaign for Better Transport has called for “large and unnecessary” road projects like the £9bn Lower Thames Crossing to be cancelled   Ahead of this month’s budget, Campaign for Better...
Calls to ‘Buy British’ increase at conference

Calls to ‘Buy British’ increase at conference

A clear theme from the Labour Party conference was the growing demand for British bus manufacturers to be prioritised in public procurement   Alexander Dennis, one of the UK’s largest bus producers, recently announced a consultation that could threaten 160 jobs in Scotland   By Andrew Garnett Political pressure is mounting to adopt a ‘Buy...
Rail needs a reset - not just another sale

Rail needs a reset – not just another sale

  The transport secretary has announced a ‘Rail Sale’ for early 2025. We need to be more radical in reducing costs and raising revenue   Marketing from train operator Greater Anglia during this year’s ‘Great British Rail Sale’   In announcing the trajectory towards rail renationalisation on September 3, one footnote towards the end of...
There’s a buzz around franchising

There’s a buzz around franchising

  The new government is pushing ahead with a bus franchising revolution, but there are potential pitfalls that must be avoided   Franchising has already arrived in Greater Manchester   There’s a buzz around buses right now, and it is all about franchising. We’ve seen the first application of the franchising legislation used in Greater...
Buses need more attention to detail

Buses need more attention to detail

  Improving bus services requires more than a fare cap or a change of ownership – it’s all also about shelters, timetables and ticketing   The Azores were beautiful – but the bus service was confusing   There is no doubt that the almost universal £2 bus fare has been a great success in England...
The legacy of the pandemic

The legacy of the pandemic

Matthew Niblett and Sarah Kendall on how Covid accelerated changes in travel behaviour   The threat of another pandemic has not disappeared and it is only a matter of time before we could face another global health crisis   BY Matthew Niblett and Sarah Kendall Some four and half years have passed since the world...